1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to angle measuring instruments, and specifically, to portable digital horizontal inclinometers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Two types of conventional pendulum inclinometers, one with a damping device and one without, are conventionally used for the measurement of inclination angles. The inclinometer without a damping device is suitable mainly for static measurements as it takes a long time for the stabilization of the pendulum before a correct angle reading can be obtained. The inclinometer with a damping device can provide rapid damping to eliminate the pendulum's free swing, and thus to realize a continuous dynamic measurement to the inclination angle.
Conventionally, silicon oil and air have been used as damping media. However, while the damping coefficient of silicon oil decreases greatly with increasing temperature limiting significantly the operating temperatures of inclinometers utilizing silicon oil, using air for damping is not ideal because it requires complicated designs and high machining precision.
In view of the forgoing, Chinese Pat. App. No. CN00223002.X disclosed a digital inclinometer with magnetic damping, which offers the advantage of stable and fast reading. Unfortunately, the design disclosed therein is not functional for wide angle measurements. Therefore, much opportunity for improvement remains in this area of technology.